Improvement in gun-locks



R. D. HAY. Gu-11 Look.

No. 109,514. PatentedNov. 212, 1870.

NA PETERS, PHOT0-LITHDGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D C.

that@ iatea RANDALL D. HAY, or oRooIEDcREEKQNoRTH CAROLINA.r

Letters Patent No. 109,514, dated November 22, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT iN GUNLQCKS.

i The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part ofthe same.

Creek, in the county of Stokes and State of North Carolina, haveinvented a newand improved Safety- Guard for Fire-Arms; and I do herebydeclare `the following .to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing making apartof this specitication','in which- Figure 1 isa sectional elevation; iFigure 2 is a side elevation of the guard. Thisinvention has for itsobject to preventthe premature discharge ofre-arms and the accidentscont-innally resulting from this cause. The invention consists in aguard that automatically-1nterposes itself between the hammer and nippleof an ordinary nmzzle-loa'der, or between the iiring-pin and themetallic ,cartridge in needle breech-loaders, or between lany two partsin a lire-arm, whatsoever theylmay be, which, by striking together,produce an explosion of the charge, such interposition taking placewhenever said parts are separated; the-said guardbeing automaticallywithdrawn bythe operation of the trigger from between the nipple and theh ammer, considered-as types of the aforesaid parts, prerious to thefalling of the latter upon the former in the processot' discharging thepiece; the said guard being retracti# ble in no other way than by meansof the trigger, and

`being always on the nipple, so as to prevent the communication of thespark to the charge whenever the hammer accidentally fallsg'the saidguard'also serving as a.y latch to hold the-breechblock, inbreech-loading guns, in place.'

In .the drawingl v a. is the guard,the saine consist-ing of a steel-pin,and placed in a vertical chamber formed in the breech for its reception,said guard having flanges at its sides near its upper end, whichilangesproject past at each side, and protect the nipple b; said guard beingalso .provided with two pins,c c, that extend from one'side,

near its lower end,between which pins is placed an arm, d, that projectsfrom the frontend of a lever, c,

Athat is pivoted at f to oneside of the breech-chamber A, near thebottom ofthe same. j VA spring, h, attached at one'eud to the side ofthe ychamber A, above the lever e, bearsv at its other endy upon theupper side of the said lever at a point in rear ofthe fulcrum f of thesame, and thus tendsto keep .the front arm ot" the lever e constantlyelevated, which tendency causes the guard a to slip over thenipple bwhenever the hammer is raised, the upper'end of the guard a being alwayspressed against the lower side of thehammer when the latter is restingon the nipple or cap.

Hence, it' the hammer is let fall ybefore cooking, or is accidentallydisengaged from the discharging mechanism at half or full cock, itstrikes the guard instead ofthe cap, and produces no prematureexplosion.

rIhe rear end of the lever e bears upon the upper concave surface of'the trigger i. l

When the trigger is pulled it rst elcvatesV the rear end of the lever cfar enough to withdraw the guard c from over the nipple. i v

It then strikes the dog It, and causes it to liberate the hammer by theusual mechanism.

Before the hammer reaches the cap, the guard c is entirely withdrawnfrom over it, and no obstacle is interposed to the discharge of thepiece.

As soon as the trigger flies back to the proper position for the nextdischarge, the rear arm of the lever e descends, and .the guard arisesinto contact with the under side of the hammer, ready to slip over thenipple agan as soon asthe hammer :is suiiiciently raised. y

From the foregoing description, it should be clear that the guardaoperates perfectly as a safety device, heilig always on the nipplewhen' it is .needed there, and oii' the nipple when it should beelsewhere.

A In order to prevent the guard from being withdrawn from between thebreech-blockand hammer by .forcibly pulling-the trigger, the guard isformed with a small conical projection, a, on the rear side of itsupper. part, and a corresponding -recess is formed in the face of thehammer, which recess is occupied by .the projection a whenthehammcr isin contact with the guard. I l Y Ai groove is formed in the breech forthe projection n to travel through as the guln'd is drawn downward.

'The guard a may also be made to operate as alatch to hold thebreech-block of a' breech-loading fire-arm 'in place, preventing thelifting ofthe latter until such time as .the guard iswithdrawn by thetrigger.

Having thus described my invention,

What .I claim as new, and-desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The guard a, sliding within the breech, and combinedwith thespring-lever and trigger i, in the manner and for the purpose described.

4RANDALL D. HAY. .Y Witnesses: A l Z. S. ALLEY,

S. B.. ZIGLAR.

